In what ways does the Trump administration's recent move illustrate how the fossil fuel industry can capture the instrument of government and take control over public goods (in this case lands designated as national monuments) for private corporate interests (in this case the fossil fuel industry).
Hint: The two sites targeted are also where industry wants to frack for oil and gas.
Trump blasts Obama's ‘abusive’ use of monument law, orders review
Wednesday, April 26, 2017
Tuesday, April 25, 2017
Monday, April 24, 2017
Wednesday, April 19, 2017
#Divest #WUSTL: Open letter to all faculty & staff of all units of Washington University in St. Louis. Time to act in defense of our children's future.
Original email sent: April 18, 2017 to approximately 180 faculty members at various units of Washington University in St Louis. Any and all faculty and staff of Washington University in St Louis - Medical School, Business School, Law School, Art and Architecture, School of Social Work – are all welcome to sign and circulate this petition. The option is to stand by quietly while the fossil fuel industry further dismantles efforts to protect public health and make decisions based on science.
Don't have time to read, sign the petition here: https://fossilfreewashu.wordpress.com/sign-the-petition/faculty-petition/.
Don't have time to read, sign the petition here: https://fossilfreewashu.wordpress.com/sign-the-petition/faculty-petition/.
April 18, 2017
Re: Support on WUSTL fossil fuel divestment effort
Dear colleagues,
A group of students approached me to spread the word to faculty to sign a petition asking the university to take steps toward divestment from fossil fuels. In these days of Trump, attacks on climate science, and the assault on the EPA, the rollback of commitments to climate agreements, and the virtual takeover of key government institutions by the fossil fuel industry, I think some action on the university level is timely.
Of course, climate is one issue among many that link our campus to the world – racism, immigration, inequality, public health, and so on. To act here is not to disregard those efforts, but to recognize, as the students do, their interconnectedness.
These student-led campaigns may not be of our choosing, but I think we are called upon to take a position that reflects our claim to teach and defend science, the public good, public health, and the environment in the classroom.
Students are asking the university to make our investments in questionable industries more transparent, and in this case, to divest from investments in the fossil fuel industry. They are asking faculty to sign a petition in support of this effort. I don’t think a sit-in is in the offing so you are not endorsing anything disruptive.
I recognize that signing petitions is seen by many colleagues as inappropriate or ineffectual, or both. Some are simply scared that it might negatively impact them. Some may happen to think that we should just keep burning fossil fuels forever. In this particular case, I hope that you can at least consider the gravity of this issue, among many others, and consider signing your name.
As with all campaigns, the demand that institutions divest from fossil fuels has its possibilities and limits. I won’t fill your inbox with the justifications. Suffice it to say that several top universities, including Stanford and Syracuse, have made some kind of step toward divestment. Divestment is not impossible, nor will it hurt the university (which, by the way did very poorly in its endowment performance last year, which may have something to do with the way it’s currently being managed). To say that divestment from fossil fuels is symbolic is to recognize why it is important.
You may have seen the student op-ed on this issue in today’s StudLife. Quite frankly, the Chancellor’s reaction to the students was a bit unsettling.
At any rate, here’s the petition, thanks for your time and consideration: https://fossilfreewashu.wordpress.com/sign-the-petition/faculty-petition/.
There is an option to sign anonymously.
If you aren’t interested, no worries, please forgive the intrusion and delete. If you want more information, see the students’ website (https://fossilfreewashu.wordpress.com), or let me know. And if you’re so moved, please pass this on as widely as you can.
Warm regards,
Bret Gustafson
Associate Professor of Anthropology
Trump administration halts Obama-era rule aimed at curbing toxic wastewater from coal plants
Trump administration halts Obama-era rule aimed at curbing toxic wastewater from coal plants
Beginning in 2018, power plants would have had to begin showing that they were using the most up-to-date technology to remove heavy metals — including lead, arsenic, mercury and other pollutants — from their wastewater. Pruitt wrote that the EPA plans to postpone compliance deadlines for the regulation, which is also being challenged in a federal court. On Thursday, the EPA said the rule would cost the industry hundreds of millions of dollars a year to comply with.
“This action is another example of EPA implementing President Trump’s vision of being good stewards of our natural resources, while not developing regulations that hurt our economy and kill jobs,” Pruitt said in a statement. “Some of our nation’s largest job producers have objected to this rule, saying the requirements set by the Obama administration are not economically or technologically feasible within the prescribed time frame.”
The move drew immediate condemnation from environmental groups, which called it a gift to the energy industry. They insisted that the Trump administration focused only on potential costs of the rule while ignoring its benefits, and that delays in compliance will endanger wildlife and pose health threats to families that live near coal plants, as exposure to heavy metals can cause problems with cognitive development in children, among other problems.
Tuesday, April 18, 2017
Sunday, April 16, 2017
Wednesday, April 12, 2017
Tuesday, April 11, 2017
#Syria, is it about pipelines or not? Juan Cole says not really, but it's most certainly about Russia. Russia's not Leaving: Syria is about old-Fashioned Sphere of Influence, not Oil
Russia's not Leaving: Syria is about old-Fashioned Sphere of Influence, not Oil
"All this is why Russia will remain in Syria and will have most of it as its sphere of influence. Russia has clear motivations and clear goals there, a strong ally with most of the population under its control, and a practical plan for accomplishing them, which has worked well if sanguinarily so far.
In contrast, the US has no obvious motivation to be in Syria except fighting Daesh. Its policies are therefore muddled. It is damaging its relationship with a big important country, Turkey (pop. 78 mn., GDP $800 bn), by its alliance with the small PYD Syrian Kurdish population of some 2 million, for the instrumental purpose of rolling up Daesh. Maybe the military-industrial complex in the US would like a war just to make some money, and maybe the Neoconservatives would like a war to contain Iran. But neither of them is likely to be able to dictate to Trump, who likely hasn’t given up on better relations with Putin and doesn’t need either of those groups to be reelected.
My guess is that the Tomahawk strikes were impulsive and a one-off. The Russian-dominated status quo is not significantly affected, and there isn’t an early prospect of it so being."
Monday, April 10, 2017
Re: Our lecture on Syria, the Saudis, and the endgame in the Middle East today: UK is in no position to lecture Saudis on oil dependence | Climate Home - climate change news
UK is in no position to lecture Saudis on oil dependence | Climate Home - climate change news
Great piece that highlights reality of transition away from oil, the Saudi strategy, and the hypocrisy of the UK.
Great piece that highlights reality of transition away from oil, the Saudi strategy, and the hypocrisy of the UK.
Criminal Oil, Petrostates, Corruption: It's real, not conspiracy theory. Shell Knew | Global Witness
Shell Knew | Global Witness
As we discussed in class, more information on the recent bribery case involving Shell and Nigeria. This is what we mean when we say the petrostate is co-constituted by the industry and the state apparatus itself. And co-constituted, systemically, by corruption.
As we discussed in class, more information on the recent bribery case involving Shell and Nigeria. This is what we mean when we say the petrostate is co-constituted by the industry and the state apparatus itself. And co-constituted, systemically, by corruption.
Jeff Biggers: #dirtycoal: Bureau Of Land Management Replaces Website Banner With Image From Coal Company
Bureau Of Land Management Replaces Website Banner With Image From Coal Company (click image for full story), via Jeff Biggers, Huffington Post
Friday, April 7, 2017
Beautiful: Calling out Pruitt for supporting polluters and attacking public health
NOW: @EPAScottPruitt interrupted by young people calling him the #1 threat to public health! #Resist #PollutingPruitt #PeoplesClimate pic.twitter.com/H6oDwXdw9G
— Anthony Torres (@avtorres4) April 7, 2017
Thursday, April 6, 2017
Tuesday, April 4, 2017
Seize the Grid: Missouri House nears vote on bill allowing utilities to raise rooftop solar fees
Seize the Grid: This is what utilities lobby for: lawmakers who will pass laws to slow down renewables and deepen the strength of dirty coal-fired utilities like Ameren.
Missouri House nears vote on bill allowing utilities to raise rooftop solar fees
Missouri House nears vote on bill allowing utilities to raise rooftop solar fees
Seize the Grid: Read this to help think about Bakke -- The top 5 states for utility grid modernization and business model reform
The Grid... read this to contextualize Bakke in the current moment....
The top 5 states for utility grid modernization and business model reform
The top 5 states for utility grid modernization and business model reform
Monday, April 3, 2017
What's Missing In The Coal Debate
Long time coal watcher, Jeff Biggers, on the true costs of coal and reviews of some great recent documentaries on life in the coal zones...
What's Missing In The Coal Debate
What's Missing In The Coal Debate
Divest Swarthmore: Concerned Faculty: Open Letter to Dean Braun and Dean Miller
80% of Swarthmore's student body asks for divestment from fossil fuels. President bluntly says no and charges four students with disorderly conduct. Shameful.
Concerned Faculty: Open Letter to Dean Braun and Dean Miller
Concerned Faculty: Open Letter to Dean Braun and Dean Miller
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